Oxidative Phosphorylation, Mitochondria, and Chloroplasts

Vocabulary terms and definitions covering oxidative phosphorylation, electron transport chain mechanisms, and the comparison between cellular respiration in mitochondria and photosynthesis in chloroplasts.

Oxidative Phosphorylation

The process where cells produce most of their ATP, the main energy-carrying molecule in the cell.

Inner Mitochondrial Membrane (IMM)

The location where oxidative phosphorylation occurs and where protein complexes pump $H^+$ into the intermembrane space.

NADH and $FADH_2$

Molecules produced in earlier stages of cellular respiration (CR) that carry high-energy electrons to the electron transport chain (ETC).

ATP Synthase

The enzyme through which $H^+$ flows back into the mitochondrial matrix, providing the energy needed to combine ADP with inorganic phosphate ($P_i$) to make ATP.

Oxygen (in Oxidative Phosphorylation)

The molecule that accepts electrons and combines with electrons and $H^+$ to form $H_2O$.

Mitochondria

Organelles found in plants and animals that perform cellular respiration to produce ATP from energy in food; they contain their own DNA and lack chlorophyll.

Chloroplasts

Organelles found in plants and algae that contain chlorophyll and their own DNA, using light energy to make sugars through photosynthesis.

Cellular Respiration Chemical Equation

$$C_6H_{12}O_6 + 6O_2 \rightarrow 6CO_2 + 6H_2O + ATP$$

Photosynthesis Chemical Equation

$$6CO_2 + 6H_2O + \text{light} \rightarrow C_6H_{12}O_6 + 6O_2$$

Cellular Respiration Inputs and Outputs

Inputs: any food (glucose) and oxygen. Outputs: ATP, $CO_2$, and $H_2O$.

Photosynthesis Inputs and Outputs

Inputs: $CO_2$, $H_2O$, and light. Outputs: sugar (glucose) and oxygen.